I found this book not as enjoyable as the first. That was peopled by flawed humans but they were mainly still likeable.
The people in this one far less do.
From Elizabeth, a college tutor in New York to Patricia her recently dead mother they are quite prickly and not easy to get on with, nor are the vulture like cousins who circle for s share out of Elizabeth's small inheritance.
In the past something extraordinary had happened to Patricia the woman her daughter knows as brittle and dutiful rather than affectionate. The revelations are revealed through flashbacks of the mother - but too late to bring Elizabeth closer dufing her lifetime
Both past and present episodes feature s boring, dull Ireland that is not how their tiurii board would wish it to be portrayed. The past 1970s Ireland feels more like 1950s, but I suspect this is an accurate depiction

I am always wary of celebrity authors but Norton is cutting the mustard. This is a really enjoyable story that I read very quickly, characters stood firm, family secrets intrigued, interesting side story. Suspend belief a bit but enjoy. I shall certainly be coming back for more.

A Keeper follows Elizabeth Keane as she returns to Ireland following her mother’s death to oversee the sale of her home and wrapping up of her estate. While clearing her mother’s house, she comes across a series of letters that lead her to the identify of her father and the truth about her – and her mother’s past.

While Elizabeth sets about unravelling the mystery that she’s uncovered, her life as she knows it back in NYC is unravelling in an eerily similar way. The present, past and future weave together in a cleverly written novel.

Graham Norton knows people. Of course he does – he’s made a career out of knowing how to get the very best out of people when he interviews them. His biggest strength as a writer is his characterisation. He really gets underneath the skin of his characters: they are real, they are visceral, everything they feel, say, do, or act like feels so very true. He draws in his reader’s empathy from the first page – and this is as true for A Keeper as it is for Holding. There is never a moment that you don’t believe a character would have acted in the way he’s written; you understand exactly why they react as they do, and why they think, feel, speak in a certain way. It’s magical.

Which isn’t to say that all the characters themselves are nice. But they’re real; they’re tangible and you can understand why they’ve done what they’ve done.

It’s also why I’ll forgive the moments of the plot which get a little bit far fetched, or dramatic. Norton is such a good storyteller that you believe them. You want to get to the bottom of the mystery; you want everything that’s happening back in NYC to work out for the best; you want – somehow – for Elizabeth to be able to have that final, impossible talk with her mother where she tells her the full truth. You don’t, of course, get that.

A Keeper is quite a dark book, full of suspense and at times unsettling.There are elements of The Woman In Black – just without the supernatural aspect. It’s skillfully written and paced – slow enough to draw you in and make you wonder, but not drawn out so long you lose interest. Told in flashback and in present day, it weaves a generalised feeling of discontent and dissatisfaction with life, with real tragedy, exceptional circumstances and an almost overwhelming sense of loneliness.

Norton is a skilled writer; you can certainly see that he’s someone with a real passion for literature and storytelling. There is an enjoyment for the written word that comes across clearly on every page. While, personally, I found the ending was a little bit too over dramatic, I can see why he chose to include it as it did fit well with the overall story arc – so perhaps I’m just being picky. (I had to find something!).

I would absolutely recommend to anyone. This is not a book by a celebrity; this is a book by a gifted novelist, who also happens to be a chat show host. I can’t wait to see what he writes next.

(Full review on CopyandTea.co.uk

This is a brilliant modern fiction story. I always look forward to anything Graham Norton writes. This is an Irish family saga set in the past and present, showing how they connect together.

A 3.5 star read. Goodreads still doesn't accommodate half star ratings!! Come on guys!

After loving Holding, Norton's previous book, I was really excited by this read. Elizabeth has returned from New York to small town Ireland to deal with her mother's estate after her passing. It's been a long time since Elizabeth has been in the town that that she grew up in and being back fills her with a mixture of emotions. In clearing out her mother's wardrobe Elizabeth comes across a wooden box containing letters from her father whom she knows very little about. Finding that she has time on her own she decides to delve into her mother's past and the book switches between Elizabeth and Patrica's stories respectively.

This is a lovely, engaging story about family, loss and acceptance of what you can't change. For me it wasn't quite up to the mark of Holding which I loved but this nevertheless was read very quickly. Norton writes in an absorbing way, more than able to flesh out characters and place settings such as bringing rural Cork to life. The plot, however, could be said was a little far fetched at times and I did question some decision making. That said, I would be more than happy to read further tales by Norton. I love his style of writing, his settings and drawing of local characters. Just perhaps suspend belief in this instance - just a little.

Recommended.

I have loved all of Graham Norton’s books, an excellent author. Highly recommended.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Graham Norton for the copy of this book. I agreed to give my unbiased opinion voluntarily.

I haven’t read any of his books before, but I will now. What a great storyteller Graham Norton is: a haunting tale told with such sensitivity.

I enjoyed Graham Norton’s first book Holding (see review here) so was interested to see what he served up as his second offering. The blurb suggested something in a different vein, and it was certainly different, so much so it has taken me a while to digest and consider how to write this review.

It was on the surface, a not uncommon tale of a daughter returning to sort out her mothers affairs following her death. Elizabeth’s return to Ireland, was a diversion, if not welcome, distraction from life at home in America. Divorced with a teenage son, it gave her breathing space and thinking time, to perhaps put her own house in order. It was an uneasy return as she had often felt an outsider. Brought up single-handedly by a strict, devout, disciplinarian mother, her life had been a pretty loveless one that hadn’t encouraged friends. She knew nothing about her father, or indeed, much about her mother’s life. The discovery of a box of letters was to change all that with dramatic consequences. It revealed a women far removed from the one she had grown up with and told a story that was dramatic and life changing.

It started off well, and I was thoroughly engaged by the descriptions of the small town, claustrophobic Ireland of the 1970’s, and the letter’s revelations of how her mother met Edward, a quiet, introverted farmer from West Cork. For a two-thirds of the book I was thoroughly hooked and enjoying it, and then the tone changed. The story took a darker turn that wasn’t anticipated. For me, it didn’t feel right, although there was a justifiable (if slightly mad) explanation for the first dramatic twist, it was the shocking, final action of that change I found hard to accept. It was too extreme. It felt like I’d gone from Maeve Binchy to a mad mash-up of a Victorian gothic novel. It’s hard to say much more, without giving spoilers to explain why I felt like I did, but it was too jarring. I also felt the ending was a little contrived, given what we discover of Elizabeth’s background. I will readily admit that in normal circumstances I might have been less critical with the echoes of her story being replayed, had I still not been reeling from the previous drama.

This is not the review I anticipated I’d be writing, having been a fan of the previous book, but this one just didn’t work out for me. It’s a shame as there was a lot I loved about the book and I do love Graham’s writing, but it was the plot change, rather than the writing of it, that fell short for me this time. I know I’m in the minority with this view, which just goes to show, we are all different and what works for some, doesn’t work for others. I’m still keen to see what the next book has to offer though and hoping my next review will be a bit more upbeat.

I received a copy via Netgalley to enable this review.

Having read Graham Norton's first novel I expected more of the same, however, I was disappointed that this book was very dour and boring with nothing lightweight to lift the mood.

Wow what a story!!! I loved Graham Norton's first novel also and this didn't let it down!!
Elizabeth lives in New York with her 17 year old son Zach, her mother; Patricia has just died so she has to go back to Ireland to sort out her old childhood home.
Her mother has a past, as she discovers when she start clearing her house and finds old 'love' letters. She starts to learn more about the father she never knew.
The story goes between now and then as we learn what happened in Patricia's life. Also the struggles that Elizabeth is going through in the present day.
Similar feel to Misery by Stephen King, that keeps you hooked to the end!

Elizabeth has grown up not knowing who her father was. She returns to Ireland after her mother's death, with the intention of swiftly settling up her mother's affairs, selling her childhood home and returning to New York to her son Zach. But she finds some letters hidden in her mother's bedroom, which seem to be from her father when her parents first started courting. From there we see the story unfolding in the present from Elizabeth's point of view and also 40 years ago from her mother Patricia's point of view. Secrets are unravelled slowly, as we get caught up in the story.

There was times when I felt like a was holding my breath as I realised what was happening. It really wasn't what I was expecting going into the book. I thought it was well written at points and I liked that Elizabeth was also dealing with her own struggles and drama in the current timeline, that it wasn't all just focused on the past. As the book went on however, I did find it got a bit predictable and a tiny bit far fetched. It didn't take away from my enjoyment in the story though and overall I preferred it to Graham's first book Holding.

Elizabeth Keane has never known her father, or even known who he is. Following the death of her mother, Patricia, Elizabeth heads back to her childhood home to sort through Patricia’s things and finds a pile of letters hidden away that just might hold the key to her past.

I went into this book expecting something similar to Graham Norton’s last novel, Holding. The blurb doesn’t give much away, so I didn’t really know what this book was going to be about. It started out a bit dully – I couldn’t see what direction it was going to take – and then, BAM. It unexpectedly turned into some kind of kidnapping mystery story.

The shock factor truly made this book for me, so I’ll keep things vague. Really, the plot is that of a thriller, but the writing style is quite is closer to what you’d find in a family drama or even a romance novel. This had the effect of taking away a lot of the usual tropes of the thriller genre and added an extra layer of sinisterness through how casually the kidnapping is presented.

The characters were fantastic. They were believable and well-developed, with completely realistic lives outside of the general story-line as well as within it. I really enjoyed the Irish colloquialisms in the speech to help set the scene and give the characters more personality.

A Keeper is a deeply emotive and absorbing story. A truly excellent piece of fiction.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Having read Graham Norton’s previous novel, Holding, which was excellent I was really excited to receive A Keeper to review via NetGalley and I was not disappointed.
Graham has chosen to set this book in Ireland too, in a small town and again his characterisations are superb. These are all people you could imagine meeting in a small Irish town. Graham writes about places and people he knows and that makes the book come alive for me.
It is the story of University teacher, Elizabeth who returns to Ireland from New York, to sell her Mother’s house after her death and it is also the story of Patricia, her mother, which is set in the past.
Whilst clearing out the house, Elizabeth comes across some old letters which reveal information about her late father. This leads her to look into her background as her Mother had brought her up alone, telling Elizabeth that her father was dead.
As secrets are gradually revealed with the narrative slipping effortlessly between the two time frames, the reader gradually learns more about Patricia’s life is the 1970s as well as Elizabeth’s in the present day.
This was a great story which was intricately plotted and it even had a twist at the end when all was revealed. I certainly did not guess the outcome and I was quite shocked when I found out.
The main theme seemed to be parents and children, the implication being that the person who brings a child up selflessly is the parent and deserves love even if that person is not the birth parent. That person is indeed the “keeper” of the child. It also looks at the bonds which bind parents to children and which, when broken lead to some awful events, as in the case Of Elizabeth’s father Edward and his own mother the formidable Mrs Foley.

A Keeper is Norton’s second novel and, like the first, is set in the kind of small Irish community which he knows well (and, presumably, the majority of his non-Irish readers don’t). Small communities exist everywhere, of course, and the overpowering sense of people all-knowing each others business is probably universal but the addition of a strong sense of the influence of church and tradition gives it a very Irish feel. The story centres around a woman called Elizabeth who returns to her childhood home after the death of her mother to prepare it for sale. While looking through her mother’s things Elizabeth finds some letters which seem to shed some light on the father she never knew. This leads her to a remote farmhouse on the coast and to meet the last few people who knew even part of the story of who she really is.

The book moves back and forth between Elizabeth and her mother’s own words from the past: from Elizabeth’s much more modern life (female academic, living in New York with her teenaged son, a marriage failed after her ex-husband leaves her for another man) to the constraints placed on Patricia as a lone woman in the 1970s. This is not just a novel about a woman investigating her identity, however, as the events of the past are revealed to be much darker than I first imagined. Not quite a psychological thriller – more of a look at the domestic horrors which can lurk in isolated communities.

Another enjoyable novel from Graham Norton, though not as light-hearted as his first. Some complex characters and the mystery gradually unfolds via the two time-strands of the story. The struggles of life in rural Ireland!

This could be such a book of sorrow, but for the strength of the characters in the story. The characters are fully rounded and they have doubts fears and the spark of resilience in them. Elizabeth Keane has returned to her native Ireland from New York following the death of her mother, Patricia. She drives into Buncarragh with a sagging heart as she returns to her childhood home. She doesn't belong here! She doesn't want to be here or see anyone who knows her. But of course she does! And as she curls up in her mothers bedroom, the start of a new exploration of her history starts with a glimpse into her own mothers past. Will Elizabeth find out what lays behind her mothers strange ways?

And while Elizabeth is working through her mother's history, she has her own family issues to deal with. Her relationship with her ex-husband keeps creeping back into her life and does this have any impact on her relationship with her son, Zach? Elizabeth is in Ireland, conscious that her son is with her gay husband, uncertain about this situation, but glad that her son has been able to arrange a visit to his father. She loves her son and wants to be back in her flat, just the two of them.

Beneath Elizabeth's story, we have Patricia's story. Patricia has spent her life caring for her mother and feels that it is now her turn at life. With her friend Rosemary's help, she embarks on an escapade to find herself a husband of her own. But Patricia doesn't get what she expects from the experience, nor does the man she meets.

Graham Norton can describe the feel of a place, the bleak, empty coldness of a dreary soulless home. The warmth of a smile on a face of a loved one. The broken cracks in a heart of one who has lost their one true love. All this is packed into this novel. I found this story so compelling to read, sorrowful and painful. Life is so hard. Yet, individuals seem to find the grit and determination to continue. So it is in this story of life, death and mystery. Graham Norton knows how to write about the harder side of life. He did a good job in his debut novel (Holding) and has continued to do a good job with this one. I look forward to his next novel being released in due course and will make a space for it in my reading calendar.

The story switches between the lives of Patricia (the mother) and Elizabeth (the daughter) as they struggle with what the world throws at them. Time seems to test them both, in different, but similar ways.

Sensitive telling of love and betrayal

What Graham Norton has a great ability for, is telling a great tale. This novel is one of those tales and highlights the author’s deep understanding of human frailty and raw emotions.

In the early 1970s, Edward Foley is forty-one years old, living with his mother on the family farm at Muirinish in Western Cork. As the book opens he is feeling desperate about his life, but as always feels that his mother will have the answer, a plan.

The next chapter brings the reader right up to date as Elizabeth Keane arrives in the village of Buncarragh to sort out her dead mother’s house and to put it on the market. Twenty years ago, Elizabeth moved to America where she was married and gave birth to a son, Zach, now aged seventeen. Elizabeth and Zach, the marriage having failed, now live in a tiny apartment in New York.

While Elizabeth is tackling her mother, Patricia’s, wardrobe, she comes across a box containing letters between Patricia and Edward Foley. Elizabeth has always been told that her father was dead but nothing more. Could these letters provide a clue?

From this point, the story switches from ‘Then’ in Muirinish to ‘Now’ in Buncarragh and later Muirinish, as Elizabeth searches out her heritage.

Norton’s characters are works of sheer art, from Elizabeth’s American neuroses to Edward’s bluff country ways, to his mother Catherine who is a formidable woman who controls his every thought and action. Patricia is a ‘spinster of the parish’, having looked after her ailing mother until her death when at thirty-two she considers herself as unmarriageable. Not wishing to remain on the shelf, her friend Rosemary’s urging leads her to put an advert in the local publication’s lonely-hearts section. There are also cameo roles by lesser, but equally fully-formed characters.

What follows is a dark, but often humorous, a story linking past to present, and Elizabeth to Edward Foley. Some of the stories are quite shocking and here Norton shows a talent for portraying the darker side of human nature.

This is a most enjoyable, ‘ripping yarn’ of a book with the story told with great sensitivity and deep insight into human nature.

Another winner!

Pashtpaws

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

A Keeper is a lovely story about family diversity and family secrets. The characters are believable and the setting is so well described, I felt I could picture all the different locations. It’s not a book of high drama or psychological tension but there were some very emotional moments. I thoroughly recommend it.

Elizabeth Keane returns to Ireland from New York following the death of her mother. Her intention is to sort out her mother's house before selling it- & before her relatives take anything that she might value. She was not particularly close to her mother & her father died when she was a baby so she was not expecting the trip to be overwhelming emotionally. Her emotions are far more concerned about her teenage son growing up!

The house is as gloomy as she remembers. As she wanders about she comes across some letters from her father. It seems her parents had met through a lonely hearts column.

The story is told through two timelines; from Elizabeth's Perspective in the 'now' and from the perspective of Patricia' Elizabeth's mother 'then'.

I had read & enjoyed Graham Norton's first book, but this one was even better. I felt like I was there in that Irish village & at that farm by the sea. The book kept throwing me surprises so that the story never dragged. I would thoroughly recommend it. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review it.

Love the writing just like I did with Holding but I'm afraid I wasn't so keen on the storyline for this one. It all seemed a bit far fetched to me but maybe I don't really understand what it was like in Ireland during this era. A good story well told but left me feeling a little dissatisfied.